


Choices

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Series: A Tangled Web [6]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: 2350s, Adoption, Angst, Blended family, Choices, Drama, F/M, Family, Family you Choose, Fluff, Gen, Pregnancy, Stargazer era, Step family - Freeform, finding yourself, return from dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-08 20:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15251898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: Annisyn returns, and is faced with some life decisions.  Jean-Luc and Beverly cope with the new additions to their family, and Walker and Abigail start planning their wedding.This is the next installment in A Tangled Web.  Please check the timeline file if you have any questions and please do start from the beginning!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This picks up directly after the last line of Destruction.

Jean-Luc held his adopted daughter against his chest in a tight hug.  “H-How?”

“It’s a long story, Papa. I’ll tell you and Beverly together.”  He nodded as Robert caught up to them and swept Annisyn up into a hug. “Anna!”

“Oncle Robert, put me down.”  Robert kissed her cheek.  “I’m just so happy to see you.  Oh my word, Jean-Luc. Beverly will be so pleased.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “And Wesley and Katie.”  At Katie’s name,  Jean-Luc detected a slight frown on Annisyn’s face.  He put his arm through hers.  “Come on, let’s go surprise the pregnant women.”

“Women?”

“Marie is pregnant too,”  Robert proudly said. “Wow, congratulations, Oncle Robert.”

They made their way to the house, and the front door opened and a blur named Wesley came shooting out of the house and threw himself at Annisyn.  “Annie! Annie! I knew you would come back! I knew it! I missed you!!”  Annisyn laughed at her brother and tried to pick him up, but she was fairly week after so many weeks in her escape pod.  Jean-Luc bent down and whispered at Wesley, who ran back into the house shouting, “Mommy!  Tante Marie! Uncle Wally! Abby!”    There was a sound of thunder on the stairs as Wesley ran upstairs to tell his mother to come downstairs right away for a surprise. 

Beverly came downstairs, with Katie on her hip and gasped.  “Annisyn?” 

“Hi, Mom.” Beverly was speechless.  She passed Katie over to Robert and embraced the younger woman with tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Annisyn!  We thought...I mean we got your message that said you were...but you’re not...and you’re here!  Oh my god!!” Beverly took Katie back and passed the baby over to Annisyn.  Annisyn awkwardly held her daughter.  “Pup pup?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”  Jean-Luc reached for the toddler and took her outstretched arms to mean she wanted him to hold her. “Who dis?”  There were awkward glances around the room.  Katie hadn’t seen Annisyn in ten weeks, and Annisyn was considerably thinner than she had been before.  Her long hair hung limply on either side of her face, and her cheeks were hollow with weeks of eating meal replacement bars. 

Marie clapped her hands. “Come now, Ann. Let’s get you fed. You’re positively skin and bones!”  Marie led Annisyn into the kitchen and Beverly exchanged a glance with Jean-Luc.  “Katie didn’t recognize her mother.”

“Jean-Luc, it’s to be expected.  Annisyn looks very different  right now and it has been ten weeks.”  She sighed. “Look, I’ll put Katie to bed and then come back down.  I’m sure Annisyn has a story to share.”  Jean-Luc kissed his wife, and then kissed Katie on the top of her head. “Alright.”

A loud shriek came out of the kitchen.  “I think Abigail’s just discovered Annisyn.”   Jean-Luc chuckled and wrapped an arm around Beverly.  “I’d say so.  Why don’t I help you put Katie down?  Let the girls have a few minutes together.” 

###

“Annisyn...you’re....you’re...HERE!!!!”  Abigail held Annisyn’s hands in hers and jumped up and down.  Annisyn noticed the ring.  “Uhm...got something to tell me?” 

“Walker asked me to marry him!  And now I can get married and you can be my maid of honour because you’re not dead you’re here and oh my god I have to tell mom!”  Annisyn laughed at her best friend. “One, Congratulations.  Two, yes I’ll be your maid of honour. Three, breathe?” 

“Sorry.” 

“Go get Mom though.  I really don’t want to tell this story a second time...and I see Beverly is brandishing her medical tricorder at me.”  Beverly sheepishly grinned. “I suppose you’ve already been poked and prodded by Starfleet?”  Annisyn nodded. “Doctor Wheeler...and then Doctor Q’Lor....Doctor Chasewick....and uhm,” Annisyn wracked her brain to try to remember the name of the fourth doctor she had seen. “Doctor Farg.”  Beverly nodded.  “I recognize some of those names.  But....I need to...please?  For Jean-Luc’s sake?  I need to make sure...”

“That I’m really me?  Go ahead and DNA scan me.”  Beverly grinned and activated her tricorder. “Yep. One hundred percent you. Oh, I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re here!”  Beverly hugged her again and Annisyn’s eyes dropped to Beverly’s baby bump.  “It’s a girl.  We’re going to call her Clara Ann.”

“Ann?”  Beverly nodded . “We love you Annisyn,”  Beverly wiped her tears and picked up one of the trays of snack food Marie had put together in record time . “Come on, let’s take this into the living room.” 

As soon as Annisyn sat down, Wesley was weaselling his way next to her.  “Wesley, I know you missed Annisyn as much as we did, but we need to have some adult talk right now.  Why don’t you go play in your room for now?”

“Awww, Mommy...I wanna stay.”

“I know, sweetheart, but it’s going to be really boring for you.”

“Oh.  Can I take a cookie and a drink upstairs?”  Beverly nodded. “You may have a cookie, and you may take a cup with juice upstairs _if you put a lid on it_.”  Wesley looked at the floor sheepishly and Annisyn laughed. “There’s a story behind that, isn’t there?”  Beverly grinned. “Oh, he’s only spilled a _few_ cups of juice...forgot to tell us the one time and he had a row of ants marching across the floor.”

“They were my ant army!” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Lidded cups only.”  Wesley scowled.  “Fine.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Is that what we say?”  Wesley sighed. “Thank you, Mommy.”  As Wesley left the room, Beverly leaned over to Annisyn and whispered, “Eight going on sixteen, I’m sure of it.”

Jean-Luc carried in a tray with a large tea pot and a coffee urn on it.  “Marie will be in shortly. Who’s for tea?” 

Everyone was soon settled with cups of tea when Suzanne and Abigail entered the room.  Annisyn stood up and Suzanne enveloped her in a bear hug. “I’m so glad you aren’t dead,” Suzanne said as she kissed Annisyn’s cheek and settled into a chair. “Louis thought it was best if he didn’t come over right now...but he sends his regards.”  Annisyn nodded and was secretly happy.  She hadn’t warmed up to Louis as much as she should have and she would have felt strange telling her story to a stranger. 

Jean-Luc cleared his throat and reached for Annisyn’s hand.  “In your own time...tell us what happened?” 

“You...ah....got my personal log, right?”  He nodded. “We all listened to it.  We let Wesley and Katie listen to the parts that were only for them, but the rest of us listened to the whole thing.” 

“Ok.  So, I went back to get Mister Wiggles...which reminds me, he’s still in my bag,”  Beverly grinned.  “You can give him back to Wes later.” 

“Before I got to our quarters I found Mady....she was crying and got separated from you, Ab.”

“I still don’t know how,  I mean, we had everyone holding hands.  But it was good you found her. If she had died....well, I shudder to think. Bad enough we thought _you_ were dead.”

“I know.  But anyway, I shoved her in an escape pod.  Then, I couldn’t find a pod and I must have passed out when I finally got into one.”  Walker spoke up then. “I jettisoned all pods before I boarded the yacht.”

“Wally, I think you saved my life.”  Walker grinned. “Well, you and the pink people.”

“The pink people?”  Annisyn took a sip of her tea. “Yeah, I’ll get to them.”  Annisyn continued her story, and got as far as telling them about taking what she thought were her last breaths before she woke up on a slab.

“Sweetheart, can you describe these people in detail?”  Suzanne grabbed some paper and a pencil. “Let me see if I can draw them based on your description.”

“Uh...Ok.  They were really tall, like twice as tall as me at least, though some were shorter, but I think those were children.  They were pink and scaly.  Three legs.  Two large eyes.  They had a lot of teeth, at least three rows.  Antennae sticking out of their ears.  Uhm...really thin noses?”  Suzanne nodded and sketched, then passed her drawing over to Annisyn. “Yeah, kinda.  They had two arms, and really long fingers and fingernails...almost like claw nails?”  Suzanne took the drawing back and continued to scribble.  “Any clothing?”

“No.  They were all naked.” 

“Visible genitals?”  Annisyn blushed. “Well, I didn’t look!”  The group chuckled.  “No, there was nothing visible. Not like a penis or a vagina or anything.  They were...smooth?  But maybe it was hidden or something.  I mean, they have to reproduce somehow, right?”  Beverly nodded.  “Though with scales, perhaps they are reptilian and lay eggs.” 

“I didn’t see any eggs or anything like a nest, but yeah, maybe.”

“Did they tell you their name?”  Jean-Luc patted her hand. “I know you probably got asked all this already multiple times.  I’m sorry.”

“Well, actually...people kept telling me that since they weren’t my superior officer, they couldn’t force me to report.  Then I saw Admiral Quinn, but he sent me here immediately and told me to give you my report.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Ah, Greg.  He’s an old friend.  Alright then, I’ll consider this your official report and then I’ll file it with Starfleet. Continue.” 

“Ok, so they didn’t really speak a lot of Standard.  I guess a few of them learned one of the languages the communicator knew because I could only talk to about a dozen of them, and even then they sometimes spoke to each other in clicks, whistles, clacks...it was weird.” 

“And they just...helped you?”  Annisyn nodded.  “I guess I was with them for two weeks?  I got back into Federation space about a week ago.”

“How long did it take to get back to Federation space?”

“The pod’s computer said it took ten days.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Then, two weeks sounds about right.  Maybe two and a half.” 

 “They fixed my escape pod’s navigation and communication systems, somehow refilled my oxygen tanks, and they even had a standard food slot I was able to replicate water and meal bars from.”  Suzanne passed back her drawing. “Yeah, they kinda looked like that.”  She passed the picture to Jean-Luc. “Hmm. They don’t look familiar to me.  Wal?  Bev?”  He passed the picture around.  Walker scratched his head and Beverly tried to think if anything that looked like this was in her exobiology texts. 

“I got nothing, Johnny.  I’ve been involved with countless first contact scenarios, many with you, and I don’t recall giant pink reptiles.” 

“Me neither.  I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve seen them in my exobiology texts, either.”  Jean-Luc frowned then grinned at Annisyn. “Congratulations. You’ve done your first first contact!”  Annisyn blushed. 

“Really, Papa?”

“Yes, really.  It’s a shame they wouldn’t tell you their name in Standard.  Do you remember anything else?”

“Their computers didn’t have Latin characters on them.  It was like different kinds of squiggle lines.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes, that would follow with a language that was only made of clicks and whistles.  Can you remember any of the letters to write them down?” 

Annisyn nodded. “I started writing them down when I was in the pod and they’re on my PADD. Do you want to see?” 

“Show me later, but I’ll need it for your report.  Suz, can I have your drawing for the report?”  Suzanne nodded. “Thanks.”  He wrapped an arm around Annisyn. “It is so good to have you home,”  he kissed the top of her head. “We missed you.  We love you...I love you.”

“I love you too, Papa.”  Jean-Luc cleared his throat.  “I suppose we need to discuss legal things...you named Beverly and I Katie’s guardians and we formally adopted her.  We’ll have to file paperwork to give her back to you.”  Annisyn shook her head. “No.  Katie should stay with you.  Papa....Mom,”  she said, looking over at Beverly.  “I know it’s a lot to ask of you, especially with a baby on the way, but after being away from Katie for so many weeks I realised that I’m just...not ready to be a mother.  I don’t know if I ever will be ready to be Katie’s mother. She represents....”  Annisyn trailed off and sighed.  “With the exception of being brought into your family, she represents a part of my past I don’t want to think about...and I know she’ll be better off with you.  I need to....I need to really find who I am, you know?” 

“Sweetheart, don’t make any rash decisions,”  Beverly patted her shoulder.  “Right now, I think you’re just emotionally exhausted.  Why don’t you go up to your room and get a good night’s sleep?  We can talk in the morning.” 

“Isn’t Katie sleeping in there?”  Beverly shook her head. “No. She has her own room upstairs with us.  Marie and I couldn’t...well, we couldn’t bear to pack up any of your things so everything you left should still be there, but if you need anything.....” 

“Admiral Quinn let me use his replicator for some basic clothing and toiletries.  He muttered something about me using it there before I returned to the eighteenth century.”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Greg was here once.  He enjoyed the wine, but not the...rustic setting.” 

“We have a replicator upstairs that works now.  It will come in handy when we have two babies in diapers around here.”  Robert grumbled. “Next you and Marie are going to ask for one in the kitchen.”

“Well....with two babies...we’ll all have our hands pretty full between the babies and Wes and Katie...”  Robert threw up his arms. “Women! I’m going to bed. Goodnight my little Anna, I’m glad you’re home.”  He kissed Annisyn’s cheek before departing the room.  Marie stood to follow. “I had better get these cups washed before bed.” 

“I’ll do them.”

“Thanks, Walker. That’s kind of you.”  Marie bid goodnight to the group and followed her husband.  Beverly put an arm around Annisyn’s shoulder again. “How about a nice, hot bath for you before bed?”  Annisyn nodded. “Come on. I’ll get it ready for you and I’ll grab Jean-Luc’s fluffy bathrobe for you to borrow. It’s quite cosy.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

###

Beverly peeked in Wesley’s bedroom to find the boy sound asleep in his clothing.  She laughed and called for Jean-Luc.  “Look at him.  We never ate any dinner, and he fell asleep waiting for us to call him back downstairs.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Should we wake him?” 

“Why bother?  Just change him into his pyjamas. He’ll stay asleep.  I’m going to lend Annisyn your bathrobe.”

“Why mine?”

“It’s comforting. Trust me.”  Jean-Luc grinned at his wife. “Then what do I wear after my shower?” 

“Nothing!”  Beverly cheekily responded with.  She gently sat Wesley up and tugged off his t-shirt while Jean-Luc worked on his shoes.  Jean-Luc wiggled his eyebrows. “Will my wife be joining me in being naked after my shower?” 

“Hmm. Maybe.”  Beverly slid pyjama bottom onto Wesley and tugged a shirt over his head.  Jean-Luc lifted Wesley into his arms while Beverly turned down the covers.  They gently tucked him in and kissed his forehead and his only movement was to roll over and grab onto the bear Beverly had replicated on the yacht. 

###

Beverly raised her and Jean-Luc’s joined fingers to her lips and gently kissed them.  “Jean-Luc,  what are we going to do?”

“About Annisyn and Katie?”  Beverly nodded.  Jean-Luc rolled onto his back and let Beverly rest her head on his chest.  “I don’t know.  I....this is new territory for me.”

“Me too. I never thought I would have a daughter not much younger than me.”  Jean-Luc smiled. “She called you ‘Mom’.”  Beverly grinned back. “Yeah, she did.  And It’s not that I mind raising Katie as our daughter and not granddaughter, but...I don’t want Annisyn to regret giving her up.” 

“Well...over the past two years though....who’s taken care of Katie more? Us or Annisyn?”  Beverly frowned. “Probably us.  Was that wrong? Should we have pushed her to look after her more?  But she was so depressed after her birth and Jack had really messed her up.....and then she nearly committed suicide and....” Beverly sniffed and Jean-Luc squeezed her hand. “It’s a lot for a twenty-four year old to deal with.”

“ _I_ had a lot to deal with when I was twenty-four.  I had just had Wesley, I was trying to do my final years of medical school, my husband was away....and I didn’t have Wesley’ grandparents – not even Jack’s parents – to help me out when it became too much.” 

“What did you do?”

“I...ah...well, I called you.”  Jean-Luc grinned, remember those late night conversations.  Beverly would always say she didn’t want to bother Jack, or she had already spoken to him before she called him.  They would spend hours on the comms, sometimes they would even converse audio-only while one or the other or both were laying in bed.  “You probably didn’t realise how much your conversations meant to me. We had real, adult, conversations.   I came to rely on our conversations.” 

“I had no idea they meant so much to you.”  Beverly nodded and sat up to kiss him on the lips.  “But enough about me and how I slowly fell in love with my best friend.”  Jean-Luc kissed her back. “So that’s how it happened.”

“Yep.”

“I love you, Beverly.” Jean-Luc placed a kiss on Beverly’s bare shoulder.  She laughed. “I love you too, but no distracting.  We need to be a united front with Annisyn, don’t you think?”

He nodded.  “Would it be so bad for us to keep Katie and raise her as our own daughter?”  Beverly shook her head. “No, of course not.  I do worry when Katie is older though.  I don’t want her to carry any resentment towards Annisyn, and I don’t want Annisyn to feel like she can’t be part of our family.”

“No. Annisyn will always be part of the family.  Katie’s young though...could she just think Annisyn is her sister?”

“I suppose that’s possible.  But we still would have to tell her the truth when she’s older.”  Beverly sighed. “And we don’t know what kind of person Katie will grow up to be.  Wesley was five when you adopted him, but he _wanted_ you to be his father.  He knew perfectly well you weren’t his biological father.  Katie...she’s young.”

“Young enough that she can transition from calling us Pup pup and Maw maw to Papa and Mommy with no trouble?”  Beverly smiled. “Yeah.  Let’s be honest, both are pretty darn close to it already.  She only calls you Pup pup because she hears Wesley call you Papa. Maw maw is really just like Momma.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “So...are we going to do this?  Are we going to tell Annisyn that it’s ok for her to leave Katie with us?” 

Beverly nodded. “But I think we’ll need some stipulations in there.” 

“Like what?” 

“For one,  I don’t want Annisyn coming back in three, five, even one year and deciding she wants to be Katie’s mother again.  I think if she does it, it’s permanent. “  Jean-Luc nodded. “That’s fair enough.  We wouldn’t want to confuse Katie, after all.  What about Annisyn’s involvement?” 

“Well, I don’t think you want to kick her out of the family, do you?”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  “I would say, as much or as little as she wants to be in Katie’s life, _as a big sister_. Same as she is to Wesley.  It might be hard, all of us living together, but I’m sure we can figure it out .  Katie not recognizing Annisyn might actually work in our favour in this instance.”

“So, we have another daughter?” Jean-Luc said, grinning at his wife.  “Yeah, we have another daughter.”


	2. Chapter 2

Wesley was hungry.  His bedroom was dark and he was wearing his pyjamas, but his tummy was rumbling and so he got out of bed to sneak downstairs.  He thought about waking his parents or his aunt and uncle, but he knew where the cookies were.   He paused in the hallway and saw Annisyn’s bedroom door slightly opened.  The room had been closed the whole time they had been back except for the first day when they moved Katie’s crib out.  Wesley peeked in the room and saw Annisyn sitting up in her bed, crying.  Wesley pushed open the door. “Annie?  Annie, why are you crying?”  Annisyn looked up startled, and then smiled when she saw Wesley.  She patted the bed next to her.  “I’m alright, Wes.  I’m just really happy to be home.”

“Oh.  Why do adults cry when they’re happy? I only cry when I’m sad.”  Annisyn grinned at the boy she had come to love as her little brother.  “I don’t know, Wes. I guess it’s something that happens when you grow up.  Some things make you so happy that you just cry because you can’t smile big enough.”  Wesley pondered her words for a minute, and then nodded. 

“I’m glad you’re back, Annie. I missed you.”  Annisyn smoothed down Wesley’s hair. “Missed you too, kid.  Now, why are you awake at this hour?”

“I’m hungry.”  Annisyn nodded. “You fell asleep last night before anyone ate dinner.  Papa and Mom decided to let you sleep. But come on, why don’t we go down to the kitchen and see what we can find to eat?”

“I know where Tante Marie keeps the cookies!” Annisyn laughed. “Maybe something a bit more nutritious than a cookie.  Do you have your juice cup?”  Wesley shook his head. “Be right back!”  Wesley climbed down from Annisyn’s bed and headed back to his room.  Annisyn sighed. _Why is it easy for me to interact with Wesley, but I can’t with my own daughter? Is it her age?  I mean, Wesley is Jack’s child too...._ she shook her head.  Maybe she would be able to relate to Katie better as a big sister than a parent.   She shoved her feet into her slippers and put on Jean-Luc’s dressing gown before following Wesley down to the kitchen.  Beverly was right.  Jean-Luc’s robe was comforting.

###

_“Ah, Jean-Luc, was that a nice surprise for you?”_

“Very, Greg. I think if you had told me she was coming, I wouldn’t have believed you.  Thank you.  I suppose we don’t need the rest of our leave now.” Quinn shook his head. _“Nonsense.  Spend some time with your daughter. We’ve given her some leave as well, so if she wants to go with you to Sarcalucent, she has the time available.”_

“Thanks, Greg.  I don’t know what she want to do yet.  She gave me her report on what happened...I’ll get it written up and sent to you right away.”

 _“No rush.  Just...enjoy your time with her.  Look, I know I told you I knew the whole story about Ann Picard, but I’m going to pretend I have no idea that you only became her father three years ago.”_ Jean-Luc chuckled.  “You’re a good man, Gregory Quinn.” 

_“Quinn out.”_

Jean-Luc sat back in his chair when there was a soft knock on the door. “Come,” Jean-Luc automatically replied.  Then, remembering he was at the vineyard and not on a ship with automatic doors, he corrected himself. “Come in.” 

“Hi, Papa....can we talk?”  Jean-Luc looked up at Annisyn and gave her a soft smile.  “Sure, sweetheart.  Why don’t we move to the couch? Do you want Beverly here too?”  Annisyn shifted her weight from one foot to another. “Uhm...I don’t know.”  Jean-Luc nodded and stood up from the desk. “Let’s talk first.  We can call Beverly in later. Drink?”  Annisyn nodded and Jean-Luc headed to the well-stocked bar in the study. Their father had kept it stocked, and Robert had continued the tradition.  Jean-Luc perused the bottles and found a nice bottle of Scotch. 

“Plain, old, Terran scotch. That alright?”  Annisyn nodded. 

“Now then,”  Jean-Luc said as he settled into a corner of the sofa, “What’s on your mind?”  Annisyn studied her glass of amber scotch.  “I wanted to talk to you about my options.” 

“Alright, I’m all ears.” 

“I’m thinking about leaving Starfleet.”  Her words hung between them.  Jean-Luc took a sip of his drink to buy himself some time before responding.  “Would you mind telling me why?  Is it because you were lost for a month?”

“A little. But...I’m still not over Jack’s betrayal when I was pregnant with Katie.  Sometimes, when I look at her, all I see is Jack and I regret my relationship with him and how badly it hurt people, even if I didn’t know I was hurting them at the time.  If I had known...I never would have become involved with a married man.” Annisyn’s eyes filled with tears. Jean-Luc pulled Annisyn towards him and wished Beverly was here.  He really wasn’t sure what to do.  He rubbed her back gently. “Just get it all out.” 

“I never bonded with Katie. I think you and Mom – Beverly – bonded with her more than I did, and I was supposed to be her mother. But looking at her....made me think of Jack.”  She shuddered involuntarily.  “I hate him.” Her last statement was filled with venom for the deceased man and Jean-Luc was honestly shocked. They had never discussed Jack, not after he rejected Annisyn. He wondered if they should have talked with her sooner.  Annisyn wiped a tear away before continuing.  “I...I never knew what being part of a family was like until you took me in....I’m afraid if I do give up Katie, you will tell me to get out, I’m a failure, and  I don’t belong here,” Annisyn sniffed and a tear rolled down her cheek. 

“No, don’t be silly.  You’re not a failure and you’re _family._  Beverly and I accepted you into our family and that’s where you’ll stay. Whether you are in it as Katie’s mother or sister is up to you.”  

“Papa, I…”  She cried into his chest for a moment before continuing.  “I’ve tried.  I really have.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” 

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you.”  He sighed.  “Did you know Beverly used to call me when she got overwhelmed with Wesley as a baby?”

“No.”  Annisyn shook her head.  “She always seems to have it together.”

 “Now, sure.  But back when she was a new mother, she was just as nervous and scared as you.” 

“I don’t think it’s just nerves, Papa.  I don’t think I can raise Katie...no, I know I can’t.”  Jean-Luc nodded, tight lipped. “Beverly and I...,” he trailed off and cleared his throat and smiled at her before continuing.  ”Your mother and I talked about raising Katie last night, and we’re willing to do it, but we want to be sure this is what you really want.”  

 “I want....I want her to have a good life.  I think she can have that with you and Mom and Wesley more than she will with me. And I....I think I need to leave for a while.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “Leave?  How long?”

“I don’t know....Papa....Papa, I feel like I need to leave so Katie can have a good life and know you and Mom as her parents....and I need to figure out who I am.  I thought I knew, but I don’t.  I....”  Annisyn trailed off as her tears became too much for her and turned into sobs.  There was a light knock on the door and Beverly opened it and took in Annisyn sobbing into Jean-Luc’s chest and came over to the sofa and sat on Annisyn’s other side.  She gently pulled Annisyn into her arms.  “Sweetheart?” 

Jean-Luc softly spoke. “Annisyn doesn’t like how Katie reminds her of Jack.  She would like for us to raise Katie and she feels she needs to leave in order for Katie to have a better life” Beverly let out a gasp. “Annisyn...no.  Please don’t think that.” 

“How can she have a good life if I’m always around?  She won’t see me as her sister, she’ll see me as the mother who rejected her.” 

“That’s not true. Katie might have questions when she’s older, but we can handle them when they happen.  But right now?  She’s two.  She’s mostly concerned with if she’s going to get a cookie before naptime.”  Annisyn cracked a smile. “There’s the smile.” 

“What if she hates me?” 

“What if she does?   Children don’t always like or get along with their parents.  Biological,  adopted, or otherwise.  Jean-Luc and his father never got along.  Nana  and I...well, we only reached an agreement one I left for the Academy.  Someday, you might not get along with us anymore, or Wesley might have a falling out with us.  It happens.  And if it does, we’ll work through it together.”  Beverly rubbed her back lightly.  “It takes a lot of courage to try for as long as you did. Do you have any idea of how proud your father and I are of you?”

“Proud?”  Annisyn started to pull away.

“Yes, proud.”  

“I’ve never helped Katie or done anything to make anyone proud of me.”

“Nonsense.”  Jean-Luc reached out and wiped away the tears on Annisyn’s cheek.  “You’ve always done your best.”  

“My best wasn’t enough.”

 “That’s why you feel like you need to leave, isn’t it?”  

“Yes, Papa.”  Annisyn’s voice was barely a whisper.  “I can’t…”  Her parents both nodded.

“If you need to leave for a while...your mother and I want you to know that you will _always_ have a home with us.  Whenever you need it, wherever we are.  But, sweetheart, do you need to leave Starfleet to find yourself? Why not ask for a sabbatical.  Take....a year or two.  I’ll set you up with some credits and you can do whatever you want.  Travel...try a new job...go to university for a different degree.”

“Papa, you don’t need to give me money.” 

“I know I don’t _need_ to, but I want to.  Trust me, the vineyard earns plenty.  And even if you don’t need it, it would at least be there if you _do_ need it.”  Annisyn smiled. “Papa, would Starfleet give me a sabbatical?”  He nodded. “We can talk to Greg.  You’ll retain your rank so if you decide to come back, you’ll still be a Lieutenant.” 

“Can we call him now?” Jean-Luc eyed Annisyn. “You’re absolutely _sure_ you want to leave Starfleet for a while?”  She nodded. “Alright, let’s go over to the desk.  I’ll put the call through.”

A short call later, and Annisyn was given an extended leave of absence.  As a favour to his old friend,  Admiral Quinn didn’t put a specific limit on her leave, but asked her to check in if she didn’t wish to return after five years.  Annisyn agreed, and paperwork was transmitted for her to affix her thumb print to.

Annisyn sent the thumb-printed papers back to Starfleet and sat staring at the now-blank screen.

“What do I do now?”  She looked up at Beverly, uncertainty etched on her features.

“You do whatever you want to do.  Do you want to stay here at the vineyard?  Go off and explore the world...the galaxy right away? What would you like to do, and how can Papa and I help you?”  Annisyn shrugged.  “Is it bad that I feel relieved right now?”

“Not at all.”  Beverly offered her adopted daughter a smile.  “I’d be worried if you didn’t feel like a weight had been lifted.”

“Did you and Papa really talk about what would happen if I was never able to take care of Katie on my own?”

“Yep.”  Beverly nodded.  “I think we knew you were still struggling more than either of us realized when she started to teethe and you brought her into our bedroom.  Do you remember that?”

“Yes.”  Annisyn flushed and looked down.  “She was crying and I just couldn’t get her to calm down.  I wanted to be away from her, and then I felt so bad for feeling that way about my daughter.” 

“You brought her in to me, and you were so upset.”  Beverly brushed hair away from Annisyn’s forehead.  “You left to go get ready for duty, and you forgot to tell her goodbye.”

“I realized it once I was already in the lab.  I just needed to get away.”

“And that was ok. The number of times your father came to visit when Wesley was a baby and the first thing I did was hand him Wesley....”  Beverly trailed off, thinking once more about how much Jean-Luc had been more of a parent to Wesley when he was a baby than Jack had been and chased the thoughts away. “You did the best you could for her.  You brought her to us and didn’t leave her crying in your room.  Please, Annisyn, don’t think of your experience with Katie as a failure.”

 “I think it’s going to take a long time, Mom. Can I ask you another question?” Beverly nodded.  “Before you came in the room...Papa said you used to call him when you were frustrated.  Why didn’t you call Wesley’s father....why didn’t you call Jack?” 

“Because Jack...Jack wasn’t interested.  I’m sorry I never told you any of this before, but my marriage to Jack was never perfect.  If he hadn’t had that accident, and I hadn’t found out about you, I still would have divorced him and eventually married Jean-Luc.  Jack was only interested in himself and in having his name continue.  But he didn’t want to hear about how harrowing it was being a single parent.  So I called my best friend.  Jean-Luc and I spent hours on the comms.  Sometimes audio only because we were getting ready for bed, or because I was breast feeding Wes and Jean-Luc respected our privacy....but he was always there for me.”  Beverly smiled. “Someday, you’ll find your Jean-Luc.” 

Annisyn rolled her eyes. “I doubt that.  And I think it’s going to be a long time before I even think about dating anyone.”   Beverly chuckled.  “You say that now, but....you never know. Anyway, let’s forget being serious for right now.”  She smiled.  “We need a break.  How about we get the other ladies and do something fun. Leave the boys with the kids.” 

Annisyn laughed. “That sounds like fun, Mom. And maybe...maybe you can help me decide what to do?”  Beverly reached over and patted her hand. “If that’s what you want.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter that nearly wasn't. For some crazy reason, my save option and auto-save malfunctioned AND recovery didn't have any of what I wrote for this chapter. Fortunately, GottaHaveAName had part of the chapter I had already sent, and so I just had to re-create the second half. *sigh*

Annisyn found Robert tying off a bunch of grapes. “Hi, Oncle Robert. Papa said you’d be out here. What are you doing?”   
  
Robert smiled at the girl and handed her his twine dispenser . “Harvest is about eight weeks away. I’m going through the vines and snipping off any of the dead bunches or undeveloped bunches, like this one,” he said as he snipped off a tiny bunch of wrinkled grapes. “Then, I’m tying up the heavier vines so they don’t break.”   
  
“Can I help?” Robert raised his eyebrows. “You want to help? Don’t you have something else you would rather do than follow me around the vineyard?”  
  
“Nope! I really want to learn. And....Can I stay for harvest? Will you show me how wine is made?” Robert eyed his niece. “It’s not very interesting....did Jean-Luc put you up to this?”   
  
“No! Papa just shook his head when I asked him about making wine.” Robert laughed. “Oh, your father knows. We took our first steps in between the rows of vines and were helping with the harvest by the time we were each five. Of course, when we were children, quite a number of grapes wound up in our mouths instead of the buckets....” he chuckled, remembering the sour stomachs he and Jean-Luc had had when they were children and how their mother had hidden their stomach aches from their father so he wouldn’t know they had eaten some of the grapes. “Is this what you want to do? You want to learn how to be a vintner?”   
  
“I don’t know. Maybe? So...can I stay and learn?” Robert took in Annisyn’s eager face and grinned at her. “Of course you can. After all, this is your home too for as long as you want it to be. Come with me to my office. I’ll teach you the most important step.”  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
“Taste testing.”  
  
###  
Annisyn was a little tipsy by the time she approached Suzanne’s cottage.

  
“Ann! I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re here. Have you come for your dress fitting?” Annisyn let out a hiccup. “No. Oncle Robert kept pouring out the wine for me. I didn’t want Papa to get mad.” Suzanne laughed. “Sweetheart, I don’t think you have to worry about that. Your father...well, really if you want to hear about his exploits, you should talk to Walker. I only know bits and pieces from their academy years, before I became involved with....Abigail’s father.” Suzanne was careful not to use Jack’s name.  
  
“It’s ok. You can say his name. You used to love him. Mom...Beverly used to love him...I used to love him...” Annisyn giggled. “Isn’t that funny? We all wound up together in the same family?”  
  
“It’s pretty rare, is what it is. But, I’m glad we’re all together. Come in, I’ll get you a cup of coffee. We’ll get you sobered up before you go home.”   
  
Annisyn looked around the small cottage and walked over to an easel with Suzanne’s latest painting on it. “Could you teach me how to paint?”   
  
Suzanne smiled. “Thinking of taking up a hobby?”   
  
“I don’t know. I’m...I’m trying to find myself and figure out what I want to do. I joined Starfleet as soon as I was able only because it was the way out of my situation. I don’t even know if I actually like Stellar Cartography. Oncle Robert is going to teach me about making wine....and I thought you could teach me about painting?”   
  
“Well, sure. But I’m not really an art teacher. I led art lessons for Wesley, but only because Abigail asked me to. If you really want to learn, you should enrol in some classes.”   
  
“I can do that?” Annisyn’s eyes went wide. “Sure. You can sign up for classes on anything you want without getting a degree. Come on, we’ll look it up on the computer while we drink our coffee.” Suzanne walked over to her console and soon had pulled up a list of classes available at the local college. Some were even being offered for free, others for just the cost of your own supplies. Annisyn’s eyes went wide as she saw all the options available to her.

“Wow! There’s so much here to pick from. I never knew this existed. I thought you just went to University and that was it. I know Mom attended medical school, and Papa said he has a few credits towards a doctorate in Archaeology, but I never knew there were all these options.” Suzanne grinned. “Well, what did you think people who didn’t go to Academy do?” Annisyn shrugged her shoulders.

  
“I don’t know. I guess I never thought about it.” Annisyn perused the classes being offered. “Some of these don’t start until January, but some start in a few weeks. What do you think I should do?”

“Well, I know the harvest is soon, and you said you wanted to learn how to do that from Robert, so why don’t you wait until January?  In the meantime, we can just have some fun with painting.” 

“Thanks Mom...Suzane...Mom Suz?”  Suzanne laughed and patted Annisyn’s arm. “It’s ok.  You can call us both mom. We won’t get jealous.”

###

Abigail was flipping through dress options on a PADD in the sitting room, her cup of tea growing cold, marking dresses she liked and getting more frustrated by the minute.  “ARGH!  Why can’t the dresses be shown being worn on actual models!  I can’t tell how a dress will look seeing it hanging flat!”  Abigail slammed her PADD down on the low table, making the teacups rattle.  Beverly looked up from her medical journal and smiled at her friend. “Well, why don’t we go shopping?”

“Hmm...that’s a good idea,”  Abigail eyed Beverly’s growing bump.  “What should we do for your dress?” 

“Uh, Ab, this baby will be out of me before your wedding. I’m more concerned about my dress for your mom’s wedding!”

“I know that, but...uh...will you lose the baby bump right away?”  Beverly laughed.  “I hope so.  I bounced back quickly after Wesley was born, but of course, that was eight years ago.  It really depends on the woman’s body and if she only gained the weight of the baby, or if she gained additional weight. I will still have a slight bump just after I give birth, but I should be back to my old figure in time for yours.  Just pick a dress for me that will accommodate these bad boys,” Beverly said, indicating her chest.  “These are only going to get bigger.”  Abigail’s eyes went wide.  “Permanently?”

“Goodness no.  I hope not.  But they fill with milk...do I need to give you a talk?  Surely your mother must have....” Abigail coloured. “Of course she did, but you’re the first pregnant friend I’ve had to observe.  I don’t count Annisyn, we only met her when she was in her later months.” 

“I see. Well, if you _really_ want to have a baby with Wally,  I think I had better give you a few books to read.” 

“Books?”  Abigail shook her head. “I don’t want Wally to know how clueless I feel.”  Beverly laughed. “It’s on a PADD.  Read it, and then you can ask me any questions you want.”  Abigail smiled. “Thanks.” 

“Now, what about that shopping trip?  Why don’t we see what your mom and Annisyn are up to and see if we can pry Marie away from her kitchen for the afternoon.”  Abigail snorted. “Good luck.  I think Marie intends on filling the freezer in the basement before you guys both have your babies.”  Beverly shook her head. “I know. No matter how many times Jean-Luc tells her he will do the cooking for a few months, she insists.  But, Robert might be on the verge of agreeing to a replicator in the kitchen.  Jean-Luc is working on it.” 

“Nice!  You know, I’m going to hate not being here.  In two weeks, school starts and I have to report for duty and Wally will go to McKinley.  He said he’s securing quarters for us on campus, but I wonder why can’t we live here and just commute daily?”

“That’s a great idea, but you have to consider time zones.  There’s a.....nine?  I think it’s nine, hour time difference. So when you want to go home at four, it will be one in the morning here....on the other hand, I’m likely to be up with the  baby at one in the morning!”  Abigail frowned. “I guess you’re right.  We’ll live there and just come here on the weekends?” 

“Are you having your wedding here?”  Abigail nodded. “There’s more family here than at home. Robert said we can use one of the disused barns....Walker told me not to worry about it, he and Jean-Luc are going to fix it up. Then Mom found out and asked them if they could do it in time for her wedding.”  It was Beverly’s turn to laugh. “Oh, I bet they loved that.  But I know Walker. They’ll get it done, somehow.”  She frowned. “Though with us away on that diplomatic mission, Jean-Luc might not be much help.” 

“I think Louis offered to help, too.” 

“Ah, a bonding experience for them since Louis will be Walker’s father-in-law.”  Abigail shook her head. “We have a really messed up family tree, don’t we? No, it’s not really a tree. More like a web.”  Beverly rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, a tangled one.  Come on, help a pregnant lady up.  I’m going to change my top and make sure Jean-Luc doesn’t mind looking after the children.  I’d take Katie with us, but I don’t want to upset Annisyn.” 

“Yeah.  I know it has to be a hard choice for her to leave Katie with you...and you’re really ok with it?”

“Well, it’s not _ideal_ , but Jean-Luc and I decided back when Katie was born that we would do anything to help Annisyn...after what Jack put her through...” Beverly frowned. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget he was your father too.”

“Hah!  More like the sperm donor.   I don’t even remember him.” 

“I think Wesley forgets you’re his sister too.  We should remind him. Tell him this makes Wally his brother.”  Her eyes glinted with mirth. 

“Bev, you’re evil.”

“I know.”

###

Beverly was changing her top when Jean-Luc entered their room and kissed the back of her neck.  She leaned back onto him and his arms automatically came around her to rest across her belly.  “Hm, what’s this I hear you’re going shopping?”  Beverly tilted her head back, exposing her neck and Jean-Luc groaned and nuzzled his nose in her neck.  “Yes. Abigail wants to go wedding dress shopping.”  Jean-Luc lowered the straps on Beverly’s bra and kissed her shoulder. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay home?”  Beverly laughed and turned around to face him, tugging her straps back into place.  “I’m sure.”  She kissed his nose before moving his arms off her and walking over to their wardrobe.  “I just came up to change my shirt.” 

“I like you this way.” 

“Hmm, I’m sure you do.  But not exactly proper for shopping in Paris, is it?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyes. “You’re going to Paris?”  She nodded.  “Is that alright?”

“Of course it is, don’t be silly. By the way, could you do Walker a favour?” 

“Sure.”  Jean-Luc pressed a credit chip card into her hands. “Make sure Abigail uses his credit chip for her purchases.” She smirked. “Can I use it to buy my own things too?”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “That’s between you and Walker.”  Beverly grinned and tucked the chip into her pocket.  “Oh, would you be able to see to dinner so we don’t have to rush back?”  Jean-Luc placed a kiss on her lips. “Of course I can.  I’ll even bathe the children and put them to bed tonight.” 

“Ah, you do spoil me.”

“Always my love.  So, see you for dinner?”

“Yep. See you at dinner.” Beverly tugged on her fresh top, grabbed her own purse with her credit chips and headed out the door.

“Uh, Bev?”

“Yeah?”

“Shoes?”   Beverly looked down at her feet, where she was still wearing a pair of fluffy slippers and laughed. “Baby brain.” 

“I remember it well.”  He leaned over and kissed her again.  “Right, I’ve left the children playing in the sandbox long enough. Better get back and make sure Katie hasn’t poured more sand on Wesley’s head.” 

“She did that?” 

“Yep. A whole bucketful.” 

“Have fun cleaning that out of his hair in the bath later!” 

###

Jean-Luc sighed in frustration.  “Your mother was right. Getting this sand out of your hair is impossible.”  He had scrubbed Wesley’s hair with the shampoo and still his hair was gritty and the bottom of the bath was sandy.  Bathing Katie had been fun, too.  Katie had managed to get sand into her diaper and then she had peed, leaving a crust of sand.  Jean-Luc had cleaned it off as best as he could when he had changed her diaper, but sand still clung to her skin.  She had cried when he was gently washing her, and he vowed to get Beverly to check to make sure he had removed all of it when she came home.  Fortunately, Katie had forgiven him and she was now tucked up in bed after having her nightly bottle of warm milk and a story.

“Papa, it’s itchy.”

“I know.  Did you get it off your body at least?”  Wesley nodded. “Great.  I think I have an idea. Stand up.”  Wesley stood up and Jean-Luc reached for the shower head.  He turned on the shower and held the shower head directly to Wesley’s scalp.  Wesley laughed. “That tickles!” 

“I’m hoping it gets all the sand out.” 

“Oh.  Is it working?” Wesley had his eyes screwed shut against the water.  “I think so.”  Jean-Luc turned off the shower and glanced in the tub.  “Tante Marie is not going to be happy if we don’t clean out this tub.” 

“Can I help?”

“Sure. Pull the plug and drain the water.” Wesley watched as the water swirled down the drain, leaving a streak of sand behind in the bottom of the tub. “Uh...how do we get rid of that?”

“Like this.”  Jean-Luc turned back on the shower and aimed the spray at the sand.  Wesley laughed as the water from the shower pushed the sand down the drain. “Cool!” 

“Alright, kid. That’s enough excitement. Let’s get you in bed.”

“Papa, do I hafeta?  Why can’t I stay up later?  I’m eight now!”  Jean-Luc grinned. “What time do you _think_ you should go to bed?”

“Eight. Duh.”  Jean-Luc ruffled Wesley’s wet hair.  “Tell you what.  I’ll talk to your mother about extending your bedtime, but for now...it’s bedtime. Besides, you read well past eight.  I’ll be in to turn the light out at nine.  If you go to bed at eight, your light still goes out at nine.”

“Oh.”  Wesley frowned.  “Never mind.”  Wesley pulled on his pyjamas and followed Jean-Luc into his bedroom and got into bed. “Goodnight, Wes. I love you”

“Night Papa.  I love you too.”  Jean-Luc grinned and leaned down to kiss Wesley’s forehead. “Lights out at nine.” 

“Yes, Papa.”

###

Annisyn laughed as she tried on bridesmaid dresses.  Abigail had asked her two friends to pick out their dresses, and Beverly had decided they would play a prank and pick the ugliest ones they could find.  Annisyn had found a dress made out of peach silk with puffy sleeves and rows and rows of ruffles.  “Are you ready, Annie?”

“Almost!” 

“Ugh, I can’t get my zipper up.  Maternity dress my left ear!” 

“Do you want help?”

“No, you need to get the full effect.”  Beverly and Annisyn emerged at the same time and they dissolved into giggles.  The maternity dress Beverly had found was green, which was a nice colour for her, but that was where the nice ended.  It had a huge sailor-style collar with a big bow perched right over her bump. 

“That’s attractive.”  Beverly wrinkled her nose. “It’s like a giant beacon to look at my belly.  And I’m not even that big yet, but somehow, this dress makes me look like a house.” 

“I think I found where peaches go to die.”  Annisyn twirled and Beverly laughed. “Just need a little crook, and you could be Bo Peep!”  Annisyn laughed. “And corkscrew curls.” 

“I hear lauging....I can’t wait to see what you guys picked out.”  Beverly grinned at Annisyn and called back “Come on in, Ab. You’ll love them, I promise.” 

Abigail pulled back the curtain to the dressing room and gasped at her friends.  “Are you guys serious?” 

“Absolutely! Don’t you like it?”  Beverly twirled and Annisyn had to stifle her giggle.  The back of Beverly’s dress had a humongous bow right above her bottom. 

“Well....Bev...it’s...ah....interesting?  But I thought you said you wouldn’t have much of a bump left by my wedding?” 

“Hmm. True.  Maybe I can wear this at your mother’s wedding instead!” 

“Uhh...” 

“I’ll just have to wear the same dress as Ann.  Come on, give us a twirl.”  Annisyn spun and the skirt billowed out to reveal several layers of petticoat. “It’s ahh...”

“Isn’t it beautiful?  I feel like a princess.” 

“I think you mean shepherdess,” Beverly quipped.  “What?”  Abigail stared at her friends with abject horror on her face.  “Please tell me you guys are kidding.”

Annisyn couldn’t contain her laughter and she burst into giggles. “Of course we’re kidding!  This dress is hideous!”  Beverly gestured to her dress. “Please. No.  I’m going to get out of this ugly thing. Where are your mom and Marie?”

“They went to a baby shop. Mom said she would come back if I needed her help.” 

“Why don’t we go join them?  I don’t think this shop has anything we’re interested in.” 

###

The five women entered the farmhouse, giggling together amid the shuffle of shopping bags.  Jean-Luc looked up from the stove, where he was working on preparing dinner for the adults and grinned. “Good day, ladies?” 

“The best.”  Annisyn walked over and kissed Jean-Luc on the cheek. “Thanks, Papa.”

“For?”

“Everything.”  She glanced over at the other women. “I’m going to put this stuff away and then I’ll be right back.” 

Jean-Luc turned to the rest of the women. “Successful trip?” 

“For Annisyn?  Yes.  For the babies...yes.  But I _still_ don’t have a wedding dress.”  Abigail frowned.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know anything about dresses, but I thought Paris was a good place to shop?”  Abigail shrugged.  “It might be. But there was nothing there my style.” 

Jean-Luc patted the girl’s shoulder. “Never mind, I’m sure you’ll find something beautiful.” 

“Thanks.  Do you know where Wally is?”

“In the study.  He was going to get you two a place to live today.”  Abigail started to leave, but Jean-Luc grabbed a bottle of wine and handed it to her. “Here.  Why don’t you take this in with you.” 

Beverly smirked at Abigail’s retreating back.  “What?”

“Dear, you know what _we_ got up to in that study with a bottle of wine...”  Jean-Luc’s face paled.  “Walker wouldn’t! Not in my house!”  Beverly laughed and leaned over and kissed him. “Never underestimate Walker.” 

Jean-Luc pointed at the kettle with his chin while he was stirring a pot on the stove. “Would you like some tea?” 

“Yes, please.  Marie?”  Marie nodded.

“You ladies go into the sitting room, I’ll bring you some tea.  Put your feet up. Dinner won’t be for another twenty minutes.”

“And the children?”

“Katie is sleeping, Wesley is reading.  I told him I would turn off his light at nine.”  Jean-Lu pulled down a tea-pot and added the appropriate tea to the pot

“Nine?”

“Honestly, he’s probably already asleep.  He wants us to extend his bedtime to eight since he’s eight.”  Beverly rolled her eyes.  “Interesting precedent.  Eight-years-old, bedtime at eight...then when he’s nine, he’ll expect it to be nine...”

“Can you imagine? He’ll want his bedtime to be midnight when he’s twelve.  _I_ don’t even stay up until midnight most nights.”  Beverly laughed. “No. His bedtime stays.  Maybe when we get back from this diplomatic mission, but he’ll have to start attending the village school when we get back.” Jean-Luc groaned. 

“His French has improved, but he’s nowhere near fluent.  It’s going to be a struggle.”

“Guess you better practice with him.” 


	4. Chapter 4

Annisyn paged through estate agent listings on her PADD.  “Wow, who knew it would be so hard to find a place to live?”    She was at the kitchen table with Marie, learning how to make bread from her aunt.  The bread was proofing, so they were taking a break with a cup of tea and Annisyn thought she would look at some of the listings.  She tilted the PADD towards Marie.  “I mean, look at this.  It’s a two room flat, but they want so much money for it because it was recently updated.” She sighed. 

“Why don’t you stay here?”  Annisyn shook her head. “No.  I don’t want to confuse Katie and I want to put a little distance between me and her.  I know Papa and Mom are going on that diplomatic mission, but then they’ll be back, and I want to be elsewhere by then...but I want to stay nearby.” Marie thought for a minute. 

“Well, there’s the cottage.” 

“Yeah, but Mom Suz lives there.”  Marie shook her head. “She’s moving into Louis’ home. She was going to wait and move after the wedding, but when she put off the wedding slightly, they decided to move in together first.  So it will be empty in a few weeks.  It’s not as if we need it.  You might have to let Abigail and Walker stay with you when they visit since they’ve been staying there with Suzanne, but..it’s yours if you want it.” 

“Really, Tante Marie?”

“Yes, really.”  Marie reached out for Annisyn’s hand. “My dear, I know it’s been hard for you.  But you have to understand, we don’t care that you haven’t been part of this family since birth.  You _are_ a Picard and we take care of each other. And if that means you need to go live in the cottage so you can have some time to yourself, you go live in the cottage.  Your father and Walker fixed it up with modern amenities before Suzanne and her mother moved in, so you won’t have to worry about anything. And naturally, you’d be invited to join us for dinner whenever you wanted.”  Annisyn shook her head.

“Oh no, I couldn’t live there...you should rent it out...earn some extra income....”  Marie gave Annisyn an exasperated look. “Do you really _think_ we need extra income? I mean, we could charge you rent, but it’d just be moving money from one branch of the family to the other and that’s just silly.  Non, I won’t hear anymore arguments.  You will have the cottage.” 

“Thank you...I don’t know how I can repay you and Oncle Robert....”

“Dearest, I just told you.  You don’t _have_ to repay us.  And you stay as long as you want. One year, two, three, ten....this is always your home.”  Annisyn had tears in her eyes when she thanked her aunt. 

###

 _Thump._ Walker let out a string of explicit words as he bashed his thumb once more with a hammer. Nearby,  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Walker, maybe you should put the hammer down.  Though, I’m not sure I can trust you with a saw, either...” 

“Yeah, yeah, make fun of the city boy. I’m going to go see your lovely wife.”   Jean-Luc grinned.  “You sure about that?  She’ll only make fun of you again.” 

“That she might, but she’ll also fix my thumb.”

“Again.”

“Yes, alright, again.  Sheesh. But really, aren’t there...I don’t know...bots or something that can do this?  A team of engineers?” 

“ _You’re_ an engineer.” 

“Well, yes, but...not this kind of engineer!”  Jean-Luc shook his head at his friend.  “We could hire people to do this, but _you’re the one_ who wanted to make this special for your fiancée.” 

“Yeah, and then Suz had to ask if we could have it ready for her wedding and she knows I won’t say no to her, either. But honestly, can we go hire people to do this?  We both have to report to our new assignments in two weeks and you won’t be home for a while.  I can’t possibly finish this up on my own.  Even with Louis’ help.” 

“Louis is much better with a hammer than you.  He and I built our treehouse when we were nine.”  Walker glared at his friend. “Bully for you.  I suppose it’s still standing?”

“It is indeed.  I think I might reinforce it before I show it to Wesley though.”  Walker laughed. “Maybe install an inflatable mat on the ground under it for when he inevitably decides to jump off it.” 

“No, I think he learned his lesson with his arm two years ago.  At least, he hasn’t done anything else as daring since.  On the other hand, we’ve mostly been in space and there weren’t a whole lot of places for him to try to jump off of.  Hmm. You may have a point. Still, I’d like to show it to him before the baby is born.  I know it’s going to be hard for him to have to share us with another child, and I want him to have a special place that’s just his.” 

“He’s adjusting to Katie alright.” 

“True, but really, Wal, there hasn’t been a whole lot of change there, has it?  Truthfully, Beverly and I were taking care of Katie more than Annisyn was.”  Walker frowned. “I didn’t know.”

“No. We deliberately didn’t tell anyone and that’s why we had her move in with us back when Katie was born.  Between her post-partum depression and everything _else_ , it seemed like a good idea to have us near.  Now it’s just more...permanent.”  Walker grinned and slapped his friend’s back. 

“Three kids and you’ve been married for less than three years.”

“Four, counting Annisyn.”  Walker shook his head. “Sometimes, Johnny...you really amaze me.”  Jean-Luc shot his friend a puzzled look. “I mean...you took in Jack’s girlfriend.  You and Bev.  You made her part of your family, and now you’re going to raise Jack’s child...”

“I was raising Jack’s child before Katie.  Besides, you’re marrying his child.”  Walker made a face. “Yeah, I try not to think about that.”

“Walker, we didn’t really have a choice.  I mean...Jack abandoned Annisyn, and you know that I wasn’t going to leave one of my crew hanging.  The fact that she was having Wesley’s sibling...well, that just made it easier to accept her, too.”

“Jean-Luc, if you adopt every single crew member you have who gets abandoned by their partner with a kid...”  Jean-Luc held up his hands. “I know, I know.  But there was something special about Annisyn.  Maybe I just knew she was somehow related to me.” 

“Yeah, did you ever figure out how?”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “No.  We knew her birth mother’s name, but her mother wasn’t related to me, so it must have been her father.” Walker raised his eyebrows. “And you’re _sure_ she’s not actually yours? “

“Positive.  Anyway, didn’t you want Beverly to look at your finger?”  Walker nodded. “Come on, I’ll call a contractor to finish this.”

Beverly, predictably, laughed at Walker. “Again?  Jean-Luc, why are you letting him use a hammer?”  Jean-Luc threw up his hands. “Hey, it was his idea.  But I’m contacting a contractor to finish it.”  Beverly laughed.  “Good idea.  You going to have them look at the tree house too?”

“Of course not.  I can check it.  I wasn’t planning on showing it to Wesley until we get back from this sodding diplomatic trip.”

“I’m not looking forward to it either,” Beverly said as she examined Walker’s thumb.  “You broke it this time, Wally.” 

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“So...can you just...zap it and fix it?”  Beverly grinned. “Zap it?  Do I look like a wizard?” 

“Well, no but don’t you have...like...a thing to use to fix it?” 

“If I had a full sickbay, yes.  Oh, we can check the shuttle’s sickbay, but if it doesn’t have what I need, you’ll have to go to Starfleet Medical.”

“Bugger.”

###

“Tawn tee Mawwy?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Hungwy.” Marie smiled at Katie.  “Well, let’s get you something to eat.  Wes, you hungry?” 

“No.” 

“Are you sure? It’s lunchtime, and you know the rules....”  Wesley sighed and recited his parent’s rule. “ _No snacking between meals. If you miss a meal, you eat at the next meal.”_

“Come on, let’s get lunch for all of us.” 

Marie was halfway through her pregnancy and she was feeling it as an older mother.  Unlike her thirty-one year-old sister-in-law, Marie was well into her forties.  In fact, Marie was fairly certain this would be hers and Robert’s only child.  It made her sad to think they had wasted all those years when a better doctor could have diagnosed her problem, but she was overjoyed to finally be pregnant.  If only it wasn’t so tiring. 

She made sandwiches for the children and herself, and left the ingredients out on the counter for the other adults.  Usually, she would make a platter of sandwiches for everyone to pick at when they were hungry, but as she was getting later into her pregnancy, she was finding it harder to keep up with her tasks.  She had caught Robert and Jean-Luc talking in hushed tones about hiring a housekeeper for the rest of hers and Beverly’s pregnancies and then for the first year of the babies lives since there would be a lot of people living in the house.  Marie wasn’t entirely thrilled about the idea, but she had to admit, it might be nice. 

She rubbed at the base of her spine absently as she went to get Katie and Wesley both cups of juice.  “Tante Marie, does your back hurt?”

“A little, Wes.  Your cousin is...well, he’s starting to get active.”  Wesley’s eyes went wide. “It’s a boy?”  Marie nodded.  “Mom said her baby is a girl.  Can I play with yours?”

“Wes, you can play with girls, too.  You do a great job as a big brother to Katie.” 

“I know, but I want to play with boys, too.”  Marie smiled. “Well, it might be a few years before this one is big enough to play....and by then you might not want to play with him.”  Wesley shook his head. “No, I’ll still want to play.”  Marie smiled to herself.  Out loud she said “We’ll see. Now, finish your lunch and you can go outside to play.  I think your father will be back soon.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“Mom? Not Mommy?”  Marie raised her eyebrows.  Wesley shook her head. “Alice said only babies use Mommy.” 

“I see.  What else has Alice said?”  Wesley shrugged. “Not much.  Will Alice and I be related after Aunt Suz marries her Papa?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, I guess if you want to call her your cousin you can, why?”

“Alice said she was gonna marry me when we’re big.”  Marie stifled her smile.  “She did, did she? Well...you should probably wait until you’re older to decide who you’re going to marry, alright?” 

“Tante Marie, how old are you?” 

“Older than you! You don’t ask a lady her age, Wes. It’s not polite.” 

“Oh.  But we had a big party last year for Mom when she was the big three oh.  Why did Papa call it the big three oh?”  Marie laughed. “Your papa was teasing her.” 

“Papa is fifty.  Did you know that’s half of one hundred?” 

“Is it?  I didn’t know!”  Marie hid her amusement by turning to the stove and preparing a pot of tea.  “Tante Marie, you didn’t answer my question. Where’s Mom?”

“Mawm Mawm? Where Mawm Mawm?”  Katie tried imitating her brother and it made Wesley laugh.  “Katie, say Mommy.” 

“Mawmee.” 

“You can call her Mommy, you’re still a baby.”   Marie turned around and brought her pot of tea to the table. “Your mother had to take Uncle Wally to the hospital. He broke his thumb.” 

“Did it hurt?” 

“Hmm, I would imagine so.  Did it hurt when you broke your arm?”  Wesley nodded.  “Then, it probably hurts to break your thumb.”  Marie poured out her tea and took a sip, savouring the aroma. Wesley wrinkled his nose.  “Tante Marie, why do adults always drink tea?” 

“Well, I guess because we like the taste of it.  Would you like to try some?”  Marie picked up the pot and poured a tiny amount of tea into a fresh cup.   “Let it cool for a minute.”  Wesley blew on the liquid to cool it, and Katie imitated him by blowing on the lid of her sippy cup.  Wesley took a sip. “That’s hot!”

“Dat’s hawht,” Katie echoed.  Wesley giggled. “Your drink isn’t hot Katie. Tante Marie, why does Katie always copy me?” 

“Well...she’s learning.” 

“Oh.  Can I make her say funny things?  Like fart?”  Marie rolled her eyes. “You can try.”

“Katie, say fart.”

“ffffaaawwwtt.” 

###

Abigail was standing still in her mother’s living room while Suzanne added pins to Abigail’s bridesmaid dress. 

“Mom, why are we doing this? Can’t we just give my measurements to the replicator and have my dress made that way?” 

“I suppose we could,”  Suzanne said as she stuck another pin in. “But I thought this would be fun.” 

“It’s not.  Ow!”  Abigail exclaimed as her mother accidentally on purpose jabbed her with a pin.  “Sorry.”

“You’re not.” 

“Nope. But fine. Take it off. We’ll do your measurements and get a replicated dress.  We have to replicate Beverly’s dress closer to the wedding, anyway.  Might as well replicate yours and Annisyn’s too.”  Abigail smiled. “It’s good to have Annisyn back. I missed her.” 

“Me too.  You know, she’s going to move into the cottage when I finish moving everything over to Louis’ house?”  Abigail shook her head.  “No, but that’s cool. I mean, I know she said she didn’t know if she wanted to live in the house because of Katie.  Will Wally and I still be able to stay here?”

“I imagine so.  I don’t think she’d kick you out. There’s plenty of space.  Besides, you’ll only be here on the weekends after your new assignment starts.  Are you ready for it?”  Abigail peeled off the silk dress and pulled back on her clothing while she talked to her mother. “Teaching admiral’s kids?  Not really.  I mean...what if the kids are brats?” 

“You’ve been teaching a Captain’s son for three years nearly. He wasn’t a brat.”

“True, but...that’s Wesley.  He’s different.  And...he’s the son of my friends.  I don’t know any of the admirals.”  Suzanne patted her daughter’s arm. “But it won’t _just_ be admiral’s children, will it?” 

“No, it’s the school for Starfleet headquarters, so anyone who works there can send their children to the school.  I mean, I guess it’s a good move? I’ll have a classroom of children all the same grade instead of trying to cobble together lessons for multiple ages, so it will be easier....I don’t know if that’s a good thing.  Are we being punished for what happened to the _Stargazer_?”

“I don’t know the politics of Starfleet....but I wouldn’t think something like that would have affected you.  And Jean-Luc and Walker were both cleared at the inquiry.  Perhaps Admiral Quinn has given you this position because he wanted to send Walker to...where was it again?”

“McKinley.  Although, Walker mentioned Utopia Planitia too.  But that’s on Mars...McKinley is in Earth orbit.  I don’t think it would be possible for Walker to live with me and work on Mars, but I suppose we have shuttles and transporer beams for a reason....”  she trailed off. 

“Sorry, Mom. When I think about Walker I get distracted.”  Suzanne smiled. “That’s how it should be when you’re in love.”  Suzanne fed the fabric into the reclimator.  “Alright, let’s get your measurements taken instead.”

###

Walker stared at his thumb and wrist, now clad in a cast. “A cast?  Really?  Bev....”

“What?  It’s not my fault you _smashed your bones_ with the hammer.  How many times have you hit it this past week?” 

“Uh....four?  Five?  But you fixed me up each time and you never said I was in danger of shattering the bones!”  Beverly rolled her eyes.  “I told you, any injury makes you more susceptible to a future injury. It’s also probable that you damaged the bone beyond what my simple scanner could detect.” Walker grumbled. “And you can’t....” he pointed his fingers on his unbroken hand into a gun shape and pretended to shoot his thumb.

“You want me to shoot your thumb?”

“No....can’t you.... _zap it_?”  Beverly laughed.  “I told you, I’m not a magician.  Medicine isn’t magic.”

“Close as we get to magic.” 

“True, but no.  When bones are shattered, even after we use the regen unit, the bones need to be kept stable for at least a week to ensure they knit properly.  Look, it’s not that bad. The cast will be off before you report for duty and your thumb should be good as new by then.  You’re acting worse than Wesley when he broke his arm.” 

“Am not!”  Beverly pursed her lips.  “Alright,” Walker grumbled. “Point taken.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end of another installment in the Tangled Web series!

Jean-Luc sighed as he looked at the PADD the Yeoman dropped off.  The Yeoman refused to stay for a cup of coffee, citing they had more deliveries to make.  She hadn’t even told Jean-Luc what the contents of the packet were about, though Jean-Luc suspected it had to do with their diplomatic mission.  He was surprised when he opened up the package and under the information about their mission was another PADD pertaining to his and Beverly’s adoption of Katie.  It seems that the Federation had decided to null and void his and Beverly’s adoption petition in light of Ann Picard being alive. They were being ordered to return the child to her birth mother immediately.   He, Beverly, and Annisyn would have to file the paperwork once again, this time with Annisyn’s full authorisation. 

He was looking over the PADD in bed and passed it to Beverly, who was equally shocked. “Well...I’ve never...What’s next? They’ll question your adoption of Wesley since Jack was still alive when it happened?”  Jean-Luc shrugged.  “I don’t know, Bev.  But...this is going to hurt Annisyn when we tell her she needs to sign Katie over to us officially. What if...what if she doesn’t want to?”

“Well, then she will have to take over her parenting duties.  But this past week, she’s barely acknowledged Katie.  I don’t think we have anything to worry about.  Still though...I’ll get Abigail to look after the children for us tomorrow and we can have a chat with Annisyn.”

“Not Marie?”  Beverly shook her head. “No.  She’s feeling...delicate.  You forget, Marie is slightly older than me.  Pregnancy is taking its toll on her.”  Jean-Luc gave her a sharp look. “No, you misunderstand. Both she and the baby are fine, but she needs a little extra rest. If I thought I could get away with it, I would put her on bed rest.”

“What’s bed rest?”

“Basically, it would restrict Marie’s activity from now until the baby is born.  She would be expected to either stay in bed or stay seated and relaxed...but you know Marie.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “Robert and I talked about getting a housekeeper for after both babies are here.  Perhaps we should get one now.”  Beverly nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. Talk it over with Robert, and once you have someone in place, I’ll put Marie on bed rest.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Whoever it is, they’ll have to be given a copy of the family tree.”

“Web.”

“What?”

“Abigail and I decided it’s actually more like a web than a tree.” Jean-Luc shook his head. “Can’t deny that.”  He pried the PADD out of Beverly’s hand and turned out the bedside light.  “We’ll sort all this out tomorrow.  Let’s get some sleep.”

“Is sleep _all_ you want?”  Beverly grinned at her husband and flung a leg over his.  “Well,”  Jean-Luc said with a grin, “I’m not going to say no if you had other ideas...”

“Mm. My bump is getting in the way, though.” 

“We’ll just have to get creative.”

###

“Are you comfortable?”  Marie sighed at her husband.  “About as comfortable as I can be.  I want this baby so badly, but I never imagined it would take such a toll on my body.”  Robert rolled over and wrapped an arm around his wife. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.  I want this baby as much as you do.”

“I just hate seeing you this way with nothing I can do to help...do you need help around the house? There’s a lot more people now that we have Jean-Luc’s family with us.” Marie rolled over slowly to face Robert.  “I love having Jean-Luc’s family here.  In fact, it’s going to be so quiet when Jean-Luc and Beverly leave for their mission and Annisyn moves into the cottage and it’s just us rattling around this big hose until they return.” 

“Maybe we can get Annisyn to stay with us until they come back.” 

“Oh, Robert, you can’t do that. You know she would agree and that’s not what she needs right now.  I told her she was invited over for meals whenever she wanted to join us, but I think she needs to live on her own for a while.  Did you know that she went straight from a Federation orphanage into Starfleet Academy when she was only sixteen?”

“Sixteen?  I didn’t think you could attend until you were at least seventeen or eighteen?” Marie nodded. “Yes, but they take exceptional students early.”

“I knew she was bright, but I hadn’t realised....no wonder she’s been struggling lately.  Straight from the Academy to her position on the _Stargazer_ and her affair with Jack Crusher.  You know, Marie, I think I understand our Annie a bit more....and I think I understand why Jean-Luc took her in.”  He leaned over and gave his wife a kiss.  “But that doesn’t solve the problem of you being overworked.  Let Jean-Luc and I hire a housekeeper-“ Marie opened her mouth to protest and Robert held up his hand. “Hear me out, my love.  You’re due in four months, right? And Beverly is due in five?”  Marie nodded.  “Beverly is taking a year of maternity leave from Starfleet....why don’t you take a year off from the vineyard?” 

“Oh, no, Robert. I couldn’t do that.  You _need_ me.”  Robert gently cupped her cheek.  “What I need, is a wife who is rested, and a healthy  baby.”  She smiled. “But...a stranger in our house?  Robert.... _non_.” 

“What if it wasn’t a stranger?”  Marie gave her husband a puzzled look. “You’re not planning on asking Annisyn to stay, are you?  Because you know she’ll say yes, and then she’ll be miserable because she needs some time to herself.”

“No, not Annisyn.  Suzanne.” 

“But...she’s marrying Louis in a few months.  We can’t possibly ask her to leave her husband to come and take care of us.” 

“She’s offered, my dearest.  She thought perhaps you would feel more comfortable with someone you knew...” 

“Well...you both have me there.  Alright. We’ll ask Suzanne to come and look after the house until the baby is born.” Robert shook his head. “ _And_ after.”

“ _Non.”_

_“Oui.”_

“Robert...I want to take care of my family.”  Robert ran his thumb along her cheek.  “I know you do, my dear,”  he thought for a minute. “Alright.  I will agree under one condition.  _If_ you find it difficult and need help, we’ll hire help after the baby is born.  Especially if you or Beverly have a rough delivery.”

“I can accept that,” She grinned. “Now.  What do you think of the name Rene?”

 

###

Wesley woke up, terrified from another nightmare. It didn’t make him scream or wet the bed, but it was scary enough that he didn’t want to sleep alone.  He got out of bed and grabbed Mister Wiggles and walked down the hall towards his parent’s door when he saw Annisyn’s door partially open and a soft light still on.  He pushed the door open and walked over to the bed. “Annie?”   

Annisyn rolled over. “Wesley? Are you alright?”  He shook his head. “I had a nightmare.  Can Mister Wiggles and I sleep with you?  I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“Uh...Sure, I guess.  Hop in.”  Wesley crawled into bed next to his ‘big sister’ and rested his head on her arm. “I love you, Annie.”

“Love you to, Wes.  Want to tell me about your nightmare?”

“The _Stargazer_ was on fire.  There was a lot of smoke, and it was scary and I was all alone!”  Annisyn smoothed down Wesley’s hair. “That must have been scary.  But you know it was just a dream, right?”

“I know, but I don’t wanna go on a ship next week.”   Annisyn frowned.  “Wes...you’re going to have to.  Papa and Mom have a short assignment.”

“Why can’t I stay here?”

“Well...because....because children need to be with their parents.” 

“Oh.  But what about Katie?”  

“What about her?” 

“Well....Mom and Papa said they were going to...I forget the word....be her Mom and Papa because you weren’t coming home.  But you’re here now....is Katie coming with us?”  Annisyn wiped the tears that formed.  _Out of the mouths of babes indeed._   “Yes.  Katie is still your sister and Mom and Papa are her Mom and Papa.  I’m....I’m going to be her sister, like I am yours.  Is that ok?” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Annisyn smiled and kissed the top of Wesley’s head.  “Get some sleep, Wes.” 

###

Abigail had been curious when Beverly asked her to look after the children, but she agreed.  She needed a day off from wedding planning anyway.  She would have never suspected Walker’s mother to be so demanding when it came to her adult son’s wedding.  Walker would be fifty by the time of the wedding, but Maura still treated him as if he were a child.  Abigail wondered if she had done the same for Melissa and Anne when they had their weddings  and vowed to ask her future sister-in-laws about their mother’s behaviour the next time she chatted with them over subspace. 

It wasn’t that Abigail didn’t like her future mother-in-law...far from it. But the woman kept asking Abigail to do things or invite certain people and all she really wanted to do was get married and be done with it.  It was pretty tempting to ask Jean-Luc to just marry her and Walker and forget the whole wedding thing...but she didn’t want to disappoint Walker’s mother, who “just wants to see my baby boy get married”.  Abigail tossed the PADD with the latest message from Maura on the bedside table and stuck her shoes on to walk over to the main house to spend the day with her younger half-siblings. 

Her _half-siblings._ With a start, Abigail realised she had never contacted John and Terry Crusher to tell them she and Walker were engaged...but then she figured Maura probably already had since they were friends with each other and still lived on the same block in the small Connecticut town both Abigail and Walker had grown up in, albeit years apart.  She frowned.  She never really thought about their age difference, but she wondered what all the people Maura was insisting they invite will think when they find out how much younger she was than Walker.    She glanced at the clock.  She had just enough time to send a message to the Crushers informing them of her upcoming marriage to Walker. 

###

“Annisyn, could you join us in the study?”

“Uh, sure Papa.”

Jean-Luc smiled and took the tea tray Beverly was carrying and ushered the two ladies into the study and closed the door.  “Please...have a seat.” 

“Uhm.  Okay.  Why do I feel like I’ve been sent to the principal’s office?” Beverly laughed. “Sorry, sweetheart.  This is just something really serious we need to talk to you about.” 

“Do you want me to get out?  Is that it? Are you kicking me out of the family?”

“No!  Oh god, Annisyn, we would never...you’re my daughter, and you’re stuck with us.” Jean-Luc wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his shoulder.  Annisyn smiled. “Ok, so what did you need to talk to me about?”

Jean-Luc handed Annisyn the PADD.  “Since you are decidedly not dead, it seems Beverly and my petition to be Katie’s parents is null and void and the Federation has ordered us to, well, turn her back over to her mother.”  Annisyn gasped. 

“Can we...fix this? I don’t...I don’t want to _be_ her mother!”  Annisyn began to cry.  “I want Katie to have a good life, I want her to grow up in a family that loves her....” 

“Shh,  Annisyn.  It’s alright.  If you still want us to adopt Katie, we can file paperwork again with your signature on it....but are you sure?  You’re part of this family to, so Katie would have a good life and a family who loves her regardless.  And while we would expect you to take back most of your responsibilities with her, Beverly and I would still be available to help.” 

“So....you’re saying you changed your mind and you don’t want to raise Katie?”  Annisyn sniffed.  Beverly rubbed her back soothingly.  “We’re not saying that at all, Sweetheart.  We’re just...giving you a chance to rethink your decision.” 

“I don’t want to change my mind.  I want Katie to be your daughter, not mine. And I think....I might  leave for a while. I’ll stay here until the babies are born, but then I think I need to...leave.  At least for a while.” 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure I want you to have Katie.  What do...what do I need to do?”  Jean-Luc pulled out another PADD.  “We just need to fill this out and file it with Starfleet.  Do you want us to amend Katie’s birth certificate too?” Annisyn nodded. 

“And you’re sure you need to leave?” 

“I do.  I need to...find myself.  I’ll stay until Abigail’s wedding since I promised her I’d be in it, but then I’m going to travel, I think.  Maybe take some classes at another school. Use....use some of the money you gave me. Is that alright?” Jean-Luc dropped a kiss onto her hair. “Of course it is. But...we’ll miss you.  Do you think you’ll be back?”  Annisyn shrugged. “I don’t know.” 

“But at least promise you’ll visit...occasionally?”

“Yeah, Papa. I’ll visit.  But...I don’t want to confuse Katie.” 

“You won’t, darling. Katie will adapt and I know you’ll be a great big sister to her like you are to Wes.  Wesley loves you, you know.”  Beverly grinned at Annisyn.

“Yeah, I know. Wesley...we talked last night.  But I’m still worried that between you raising Katie full time plus the baby on the way...I don’t want Wes to be jealous or resent me.”  Beverly shook her head.  “He won’t.  We talked to him a while ago about how we were helping you with Katie, back when Katie was first born and he understood then.  And when we thought you were gone,  he asked if Katie was going to continue to live with us.” 

“Yeah, he asked me last night, too.  But I couldn’t tell if he was asking because he wanted her to stay or because he didn’t want her around anymore.”  Beverly  grinned. “He loves her. Honestly. And he’s a pretty resiliant boy, considering.” 

“Except for the nightmares.  Mom, he’s still having pretty bad ones.  A few nights, he wound up in my bed...so I don’t even know if I can leave knowing he’s not ok...”  Beverly smiled. “See?  You’re already being a good big sister. Wesley was frightened when the ship was destroyed.  He must have heard other crew talking about what it was like on the ship, or talked with Mady because I know he wasn’t on the ship when the fires started.  But he knows you’re okay now, so hopefully they’ll stop soon.  And...thank you.  We thought he was getting better since he hadn’t come to our room and we hadn’t heard him screaming.  Obviously, Wesley thinks the world of you.”

“Yeah, he’s a pretty good kid.  I like him.  I wish I....I wish I felt the same way about Katie.” 

“It’s alright, honest.  I told you what it was like in Wesley’s early days.  Some days, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I hated having to be a mother so much.”  Annisyn sniffed. “Yeah, but you didn’t give him away.”

“No....but I sometimes wished I could. Honestly, ask your father.”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “She’s not lying, Annisyn.  I think it’s a struggle all young parents go through.  But then,” Jean-Luc shrugged, “I don’t really have experience being a young parent.  But I bet if you talk to Suzanne, she’ll say the same.”

“Do you think Katie will hate me?”  Annisyn rubbed her eyes wearily.  “No, sweetheart. We talked about this before.  We can’t predict how she’ll feel when she’s older, but we will raise her to know you and know you love her as her sister. “ 

“Annisyn, love, if you need any extra time to think about your decision...your mother and I can continue to look after Katie for a little while....”

“No, Papa.  Let’s do this. I’m....I’m sorry.” 

“Nothing to be sorry for.  We’re all quite relived you are here with us still.”  Jean-Luc carefully filled out the form on his PADD and passed it to Annisyn.  Annisyn glanced at the man who had taken her in and the woman who despite being just a few years older than her, had become her mother and she carefully signed her signature turning Katie over to Jean-Luc and Beverly Picard. 

###

Annisyn glanced around the room she had been staying at in the house.  The bed was neatly made,  the drawers empty, and the top of the dressing table bare.  She had moved her meagre belongings over to the cottage a few hours ago and was just giving her bedroom a last pass over.  She didn’t know why. It wasn’t as if she was moving very far, only to the bottom of the vineyard, but it felt final somehow.  Beverly walked into the room and drew the younger woman into her arms. 

“You’ll be ok.  And we’ll always be here for you.” 

“Thank you, Mom.  I....I know.”

###

Wesley was colouring at the kitchen table under Abigail’s watchful eye.  Well, Abigail was actually keeping a closer look on Katie as she kept trying to put the chubby crayons in her mouth and wanted to use Wesley’s skinny crayons.  Wesley kept pushing his crayons away from Katie with an exasperated sigh.  “Katie!  No, these are your crayons.  These are mine.” 

“Mine! Mine!” 

“No, these are _mine_ ,” Wesley placed a chubby red crayon in her hand.  “ _These_ are yours.”

“Mine?”

“That’s right.” 

Abigail watched their interaction with amusement.  Wesley hadn’t once yelled at his younger sister or got angry.  He really _was_ a good older brother, and it was a shame it had taken Beverly and Jean-Luc so long to conceive a child together.  But now they had Katie, too.  Abigail admired her friends.  They had been through so much in such a short amount of time – from everything that happened with Jack leading up to their wedding, and then finding out about Annisyn...discovering that Abigail herself was Jack’s child...then helping Annisyn as she battled her depression, the destruction of their ship, their home, and now finally they would be having a child of their own.  Abigail hoped she and Walker would be as happy as their friends, though perhaps with less children. 

“Abby? Can I ask you a question?” Abigail grinned at her younger brother. “You just did.” 

“Ok, but can I?” 

“Of course you can.”

“Katie is my sister, right?”  Abigail nodded.  “And _you’re_ my sister.”  Another nod.  “But how can Annie be my sister _and_ Katie’s mom?  Is that why she isn’t being Katie’s mom anymore?  So she can be my sister?” 

“Wes...you’re asking a lot of very grown up questions.”  Wesley beamed.  “But I can’t answer that for you.  You’ll have to ask your parents or Annisyn.”

“Oh.  I like having Annie as my sister.  She’s nice to me.” 

“Hey!”  Abigail pretended to be offended. “You’re nice to me too, but you’re my teacher. It’s different.” 

“I see.”

“Mom and Papa said that Annie needed help because she wasn’t ready to be a mom, so that’s why Katie is becoming my sister.” 

“That sounds about right.  Your parents are very caring people, Wes.” 

“Uh-huh.  Are you ready to become a mom?”  Abigail flushed.  “ _Wesley!_ ”

“But you’re marrying Uncle Wally.  I thought people who get married have babies?” 

“Eventually.”

“Annie didn’t marry Jack, is that why she can’t be a mom?” 

“Well...not exactly.  Some people are moms without the papa being around.  My mom raised me on her own. And you shouldn’t call him Jack, he was our father.”  Wesley frowned.  He did _not_ want to call Jack Crusher his father. 

“So moms and papas don’t have to be married to have babies, but Annie doesn’t want to be a mom without a papa?  So that’s why she asked my mom and papa to be Katie’s parents?” 

“Close enough.  Are you ok with it?” 

“Yeah.  I mean, I like Katie.  She’s a little annoying when she tries to eat my toys, but I guess I love her.”  Abigail smiled. “That’s all we ask for, Wes.”

Wesley held up the drawing he had made of the extended family.  Everyone was in it -  his parents (his mother with a round belly), his uncle and aunt with a round belly,  Annisyn, Walker, Abigail, and even Suzanne, Louis, and Alice.  He drew himself holding hands with Katie and above the family, he wrote “I love you Annie”, with a big heart instead of the word love.  Abigail grinned.  “Is this for Annisyn?”

“Uh-huh.  She said she lost my drawing when the _Stargazer_ was destroyed. So I drew her a new picture. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“I think she’ll love it.”

###

Jean-Luc sat behind the desk in the study, staring at the console.  He had just transmitted the forms from his PADD to his computer and his finger hovered over the send button.  Sending the forms would make Katie his and Beverly’s daughter permanently.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it, he did, but he couldn’t help but worry if he and Beverly really were doing the right thing for Annisyn.  Still, he would do anything for the young woman who had wormed her way into his heart as if she had been his daughter all along.  He pressed the transmit button, sat back, and took a sip of scotch.

 

###FIN###

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check back for the next installment...I haven't given it a title yet ;)


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